The Minimum Effective Dose for Training and Nutrition

The minimum effective dose won't get you the optimal results regarding health.

So what?

If you aren't someone who's looking to fully optimise their gains, health, fitness, or nutrition, the minimum effective dose might be for you.

In this article, you'll learn what we recommend as the minimum effective doses for a healthy life.

What's The Minimum Effective Dose?

We will define it as the amount of work and effort required to make good progress, whatever the thing may be.

Navigating the thin line between the minimum and not-so-minimum is tricky, but I hope you aren't so lazy that you must bring everything you do to an absolute minimum.

Most people don't want to get jacked or finish an Ironman race; they want to be as healthy as possible without putting too much work in. Of course, there's nothing wrong with that since we all have different passions.

You must be honest with yourself. Doing the bare minimum probably won't give you your dream body, nor will it make you live 60 years more than you would otherwise.

That said, sticking to the minimum effective dose is a million times better than trying to do everything possible and then quitting. I think it's redundant to tell you how much better it is instead of doing absolutely nothing.

Training

You might think of fitness-obsessed people when you think of the gym, but that doesn't have to be the case for you.

With resistance training having too many benefits to name in this article, only a fool wouldn't take advantage of them. Anything from increasing your life expectancy, to anti-depressive properties, to making you jacked, you name it.

The general guidelines, suggested by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), tell us that we should train with resistance at most minuscule two non-consecutive days in a week, performing at least one set of 8 to 12 reps on an exercise.

While the optimal amount of training surpasses these guidelines, I'd argue that you can get away with doing just one well-structured strength session per week.

If needed, get a coach that knows what he's doing, or at least research your butt off before structuring something like that by yourself.

When it comes to cardiovascular training, the benefits are also endless.

To keep things short, let's say that physically active people have a 30% decrease in all-cause mortality compared to inactive people.

The ACSM suggests you should get 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity five times a week, or 20 minutes of vigorous aerobic training, three times a week.

Like with resistance training, I would argue that you can get away with even less.

While working out a bit more certainly won't kill you, two to three well-designed cardio sessions per week will give you many benefits.

It would be best to do both high-intensity and low-intensity cardio during the week because both have advantages. 

Nutrition and Sleep

The advice you'll read in this part should be straightforward, but people have difficulty sticking to it in practice.

Regarding nutrition, your minimum effective dose should be to eat less junk food. Although that doesn't sound all that hard, we both know how sticking to a healthy diet gets.

Don't go all out on your diet and your nutritional changes- instead, make minor changes in your habits.

Opt for a sugar-free soda, skip that late-night snack, and ditch Mcdonald's for something you also like but know is healthier.

Don't overeat every time you want to grab a bite. It would be best to leave room in your stomach after every meal. Trust me, you'll get used to it, and it will stop bothering you.

Since we tend to underestimate the amount of food we eat, try weighing your meals from time to time. You don't have to be as diligent as a bodybuilder, counting every nanogram of carbs you consume. Just remember to weigh your meal occasionally to see how much you eat in a sitting. This can be a great tool in realising whether or not you're overeating.

Sleep is generally a boring topic, and people think they are immune to the adverse effects of lack of sleep.

There isn't a minimum effective dose when it comes to sleep; you can either not sleep enough, sleep optimally, or oversleep. The only healthy option is the one in the middle.

Try setting up a regular sleep schedule, even on the weekends. This will help you get into a groove and improve your sleep quality.

Cool down your room a bit since the optimal room temperature for a good night's sleep is around 65°F, or 18.3°C.

Although you should avoid blue lights before going to sleep, you can also install apps that block blue light from your phone, reducing the harmful effects.

Conclusion

The minimum effective dose is better than doing nothing, although not even close to the optimal amount.

It's up to you to decide how much time and effort you're willing to spend on becoming a healthier individual, and it's excellent not to want to spend much of it.

I hope that this article helped you lower some of the resistance you may have had toward starting a new habit.

The little habits add up and can be life-changing when they pile up.